Welcome back to Part 3 of the Affiliate Marketing Guide! This series is all about helping you have the building blocks in place to ensure your success.
Today’s article is all about list building – we have all heard the old adage that “the money is in the list” and there is nothing wrong with anyone who is starting an internet business to have that clearly in the front of their mind. Without a list you clearly do not have a business. The reality is that you will never be short of a product to sell – there are thousands of products to select from, so do not get hung up on that! But if you do not have a list then you have no one to sell to – and it is as simple as that!
I want to focus in on 3 key elements to building a successful list:
- Grow and KEEP your subscribers. It may seem like stating the obvious, but I have seen many ignore this very basic point, but there is little point in adding hundreds to your list only to see them leaving just as quickly. Remember, these are real people who have joined your list, so a good mind set to have is to put yourself in their shoes and ask the question – having joined this list, will I stay on it and open the emails I get? This leads me on to the next critical element.
- Add value. The list is not there just for you to bombard them with product offerings day in, day out. If you are not adding value, then their perception of you is that your only interest in them is how much money you can get from them! Now, they know that you will be selling – this is a business after all – but if that is all you are going to do, then they will quickly disappear. So, you need to provide high quality content that helps them build their business. If you are not adding value on a continuous basis by providing them with material of interest – reports you come across or have produced yourself, statistics that are of interest, or videos that you found helpful – then they will tire of you.
- Credibility. This business is not that different to an offline business – people do business with people they know and trust! So, how credible are you with your list? I don’t mean that you have to be a guru, nor should you pretend to be anything other than what you are. But make sure you demonstrate that you know what you are talking about, and that you have their interests at heart. Also, do not underestimate what you do know and be prepared to share that learning with your list as you go along. Be on the journey together to grow and prosper. Share your successes and failures – we all have both! This builds your credibility as an honest and trustworthy professional in your marketplace.
That’s it for this article – keep your eyes open for Affiliate Marketing Guide Part 4 which is coming your way very soon.
